What do you say to someone whose birthday falls in the middle of the worst year of their life? I did not know the answer to that question until my friend Amara lost her father in February and turned thirty-four in October. I remember sitting with my phone open, the cursor blinking in an empty … Read more
She read it three times. Then she called me. And for almost a full minute, she did not say anything. Just quiet breathing on the other end of the line. Then — “How did you know exactly what I needed to hear?” I did not have a magical answer. I just wrote what was true. … Read more
I forgot my best friend’s birthday once Not by a day. Not by an hour. I forgot it completely — remembered it three days later when I saw someone else’s birthday post on my phone and thought, wait. Wait. When is Bilal’s birthday? It was three days ago. I called him immediately. He laughed it … Read more